Short-handed Warriors beat Cavaliers

CLEVELAND -- It's hard to tell which should get most of the credit, the resilience and depth of the Warriors, or the noted ineptitude of the host Cavaliers. Either way, Golden State's 108-95 road win Tuesday has a benchmark vibe.

The Warriors beat the Cavaliers despite not having three starters and a key reserve. No Andrew Bogut (left ankle). No Stephen Curry (right ankle). No Harrison Barnes (left knee). No Carl Landry (left shoulder).

As it turned out, the Warriors didn't need four of their top eight players.

Klay Thompson took advantage of the opportunity, lighting up Quicken Loans Arena for a career-high 32 points on 13 of 24 shooting. The Warriors got another good game from point guard Jarrett Jack. He totaled 26 points and 12 assists, his fifth double-double in his last eight games.

Golden State didn't even need a big night from forward David Lee, who had perhaps his quietest 20 points of the season to go with 13 rebounds and eight assists. The Warriors' defense took care of the rest. The Cavaliers were held o 42.9 percent shooting. Cleveland star guard Kyrie Irving, who was questionable with flu-like symptoms, managed just 14 points on 5 of 17 shooting.

The Warriors (28-17) salvage a split on the four-game road trip by beating the two losing teams.

The Warriors knew Bogut wasn't going to play. He returned to action Monday at Toronto after missing the previous 38 games, was scheduled to get the night off. He is still rehabilitating his

surgically repaired right ankle and has been ruled out of playing back-to-back sets until at least after the All-Star break.

It was expected Curry would miss his third game this season after he sustained his second ankle sprained his ankle in the third quarter on Monday, his second sprain in fewer than two weeks.

Barnes was a fairly surprising late scratch. He injured his left knee late in the Toronto game when he converted a one-handed tomahawk dunk.

Raptors center Aaron Gray, trying to hustle over and contest the dunk, fouled Barnes in midair and prompted an awkward landing. The next morning, per a Warriors official, Barnes' left knee was sore. He was scratched.

Landry, who said he bruised his left shoulder taking a charge late in the game at Toronto, tried to give it a go Tuesday. But after pre-game warm-ups, he was ruled out.

As a result, Jackson had to go deep into his bench. And it produced.

It was the kind of collective effort that can rally a team. The undermanned Warriors handled business by playing together on both ends.

Warriors Rookie guard Kent Bazemore, who only until recently got playing time in blowouts, played big on both ends. He scored nine points on 4 of 7 shooting with three assist and two rebounds. He also defended Irving straight up in the fourth quarter, preventing the All-Star guard from taking over the game late.

Rookie forward Draymond Green chipped in seven points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes. Second-year guard Charles Jenkins had four assists in 12 minutes. Center Andris Biedrins, who started in place of Bogut, had five rebounds in 11 minutes and was an active presence inside.

The Warriors took control of the game toward the end of the second quarter. With the game tied at 29, Thompson started a run with a 3-pointer. Jack then put Golden State up 39-32 with a 3-pointer and a fast-break layup. Moments later, a Bazemore 3-pointer pushed the lead to eight. Then Thompson punctuated a 17-7 run with a two-hand dunk. The Warriors led 55-44 at the half.

Thompson got hot in the third quarter to keep the Warriors up comfortably. He scored eight straight points, including two 3-pointers, the latter putting the Warriors up 72-57. Thompson made a career-high six 3-pointers.

The Warriors offense stalled a bit in the third, allowing Cleveland to get back into striking distance. The Cavaliers got as close as eight before Jack put the game away.

He nailed a pull-up 3-pointer at the 3:08 mark, giving the Warirors a 100-89 advantage. Then after a defensive stopped, he dropped in a floater to put Golden State up 13.

That was all she wrote. The Warriors had pulled off the improbable. Or, just maybe, it was the Cavaliers who did.